Built by Wendy, FINALLY Sewn by Lizzy

It’s been a while coming, but the Built by Wendy sheath dress is….finished?  I wish I could write that it is, and it very nearly is finished.  I had hoped to wear it on the weekend since the weather was hot, but I got stuck on the buttons (more about this below; please keep reading).

You can read about the start of making this dress here (the pattern is from the book Built by Wendy Dresses), and then what I accomplished last week here.

There is very little of this dress that is still Wendy, because I, Lizzy, have tweaked it beyond recognition.  All that’s original is the raglan armhole.  I’ve changed the silhouette (slightly), added and subtracted darts, made a Peter Pan collar and matching cuffs, included in-seam pockets and sewn a front placket.  I also added a tie belt at the last moment using a strip of fabric I reserved to keep my options open.

It’s looking good so far:

I was very happy with how the collar turned out.  It’s attached with a skinny facing:

All sensibilities tell me to make a dress that’s knee length with a belt (knee length for cycling and a belt to trick the eye into believing I have a waist).  However, now I’m wondering whether to hem it just above the knee and omit the belt:

Looks a bit more 1960’s.  Those aren’t go-go boots I’m wearing, by the way.  They’re Bata Industrial Jobmasters.  It’s not that I’m frightened of snakes, but I do feel a bit out of my comfort zone in an uncut hay paddock this time of year.

Unfortunately I cannot wear the dress because I’m still searching for The Perfect Buttons.  Have you had this problem with vintage fabrics before?  The colours aren’t right for today’s haberdashery.

Modern-day colours were all wrong.  Pinks were the wrong shade and  purples looked too blue placed on the fabric.  Possibly aubergine might be the right colour.

We have some button jars bought at the op shop or garages sales, with potentially the correct colour buttons in.  I need at least three the same, preferably four or five.  I sorted through them and came up with these beauties:

They looked the correct colour on the floor of the dimly-lit computer room, but when I took them into the kitchen and the light changed, they were too maroon-y:

I also found these, but they were a touch too apricot-y:

This week I’ll be mounting an expedition to the local button shop and will update with my findings.

Cheers!

Update

Here’s what I got for buttons:

They’re very very dark purple (and they look better in real life than the photo).